Connecting rod safety appliance for switches



Nov. 24,: 1942.

R. DENSON CONNECTING ROD SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR SWITCHES Filed Sept. 23,1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor "W068i"? ara on A [10mg Nov. 24, 1942.

CONNECTING ROIYSAFETY APPLIANCE FOR SWITCHES R. DENSQN 2,302,940

Filed Sept. 23, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I m'erltor Robert? .DensanPatented Nov. 24, 1942 CONNECTING ROD SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR SWITCHESRobert Denson, Clinton, 111., assignor of forty per cent to Emerson M.Williams, Clinton, Ill.

Application September 23, 1941, Serial No. 412,041

1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in railwayswitches and more particularly to a safety appliance for the connectingrods of switches.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a safetypipe which will prevent the loss of the usual bolt which connects thesections of the connecting rod in the event the nut comes ofi.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent tothe reader of the following specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a fragmentary side elevational View.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the appliance.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the appliance.

Figure 5 is a cross-section on line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a cross-section on line 66 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, itcan be seen that numeral 5 generally refers to a conventional connectingrod consisting of sections 6, 1, one end of the section 6 beingbifurcated and having its furcations a, a straddling one end of thesection I. The furcations a, a and the adjacent end of the section Ihave registering openings to receive a bolt 8 which is disposed upwardlythrough the openings and at its upper end equipped with a nut 9.

The safety appliance is generally referred to by numeral I0 andcomprises an elongated plate II having upstanding end walls I2, I3. Theend wall I2 has upstanding legs I4, I4 which straddle the connecting rodsection I and a bolt I5 extending through the upper ends of these legsI4, I4 above the section 1 is equipped with a nut I6 and a cotter keyI1.

The other wall I3 has somewhat longer upstanding legs I8, I8 which arebridged by a bolt I9 equipped with a nut 20 and a cotter key 2|. Thisbolt I9 extends above the connecting rod section 6.

It can now be observed that with the bolts I5, I9 in place and the plateII just below the bolt 8, in the event the nut 9 becomes displaced, thebolt cannot fall from the connecting rod and will remain in a positionholding the connecting rods connected until a trackman notices theabsence of the nut which of course can be quickly replaced.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specificterms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, sizeand materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In combination, a connecting rod including a pair of aligned sectionsone having a bifurcated end and the other having an end fitted in thebifurcated end, a bolt connecting said sections together at said endsthereof and disposed head downward, an elongated plate disposed beneathsaid sections and under the head of said bolt, and means for securingthe ends of the plate to said sections comprising pairs of legsprojecting from the ends of the plate and straddling the sections uponopposite sides of the connecting bolt, bolts disposed through said pairsof legs and extending over said sections, said plate being spaced fromsaid head of the connecting bolt 2. distance less than that from thetail end of the connecting bolt to the nearest side face of saidbifurcated end when the connecting bolt is in its assembled position.

ROBERT DENSON.

